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Would Garmin devices be able to run Javascript or NodeJS

Ultin
over 1 year ago

Hi,

Not sure about which part of the forum I had to post it but if you think about a better category, please let me know.

So I was wondering why Garmin uses MonkeyC, apart from pure choice. I understand it would require to rebuild most of the softwares and firmwares but hypothetically ?

Would the devices be able to run JS or Node ? With some restrictions in the language maybe ? Like MonkeyC has restrictions as well.

Would it be too heavy ? Any other issues ? Pros and cons ?

What are your thoughts ?

(Would be so easy to build apps, data fields or watchfaces)

Cheers

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  • over 1 year ago

    Here's an old thread that discusses it.

    https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/f/discussion/7039/why-monkey-c

    I'm not sure if it being its own language is that much of a barrier.

    That the devices are slow and what's allowed is very limited is more of a barrier.

    Note that Garmin had to shoehorn an app system into an existing (and limited) architecture.

  • over 1 year ago in reply to dpawlyk

    Yes exactly, but they could limit what is allowed for any languages. MonkeyC is a restricted Java, they could use a restricted JS or Node, for limiting the memory and keeping the long battery life !

    thx for the link ;)

  • over 1 year ago in reply to Ultin

    The Javascript interpreter might use too much resources. The video in the link said that it would. 

  • over 1 year ago in reply to dpawlyk

    Oh I totally get that a normal Js interpreter would use too much resources...

    That's why it would have to be a restricted version of JS, that updates the screen only every second for example.

  • over 1 year ago in reply to Ultin

    Here's a subset that is 16Kb: https://github.com/coder-mike/microvium

    When IQ was introduced, the resources the devices had were very limited.

    That Garmin didn't take the obvious course of using an existing language is a strong suggestion that that course wasn't viable. (Garmin said it wasn't viable in the video.)

    Again, I think the limitations on the devices are much more of a barrier to developers than the language.

  • over 1 year ago in reply to Ultin

    Only MonkeyC can be used to develop CIQ apps for Garmin device.  A simple device app or widget that updates the screen every second is trivial, and for a watch face, the every second/every minute update is called by the system, while in a data field, it's automatic every second if the DF is visible,

    Have you looked at the samples in the SDK, or done a "New Project" in VSC to use one of the base templates?

  • over 1 year ago in reply to dpawlyk

    Thx for the link with Microvium. Interesting !

    So if it's 16Kb, why don't they use it since they wanted something smaller than 64Kb ?

  • over 1 year ago in reply to jim_m_58

    Yes I did, but first it didn't compile, I had to change plenty of things without documentation.

    Plenty of infos missing in the doc (and undrinkable doc as we both discussed in a previous post a few days ago). For example :

    - Not that easy to understand how to separate code between OnUpdate and OnPartialUpdate

    - Impossible to rotate or curve text without creating a custom font... Also Garmin doesn't have a tiny font by default (the smallest is ridiculously big and not antialiased, very ugly)

    - no infos about which colors are available for each device. After some research, I found out there are 64 for the FR255. Though the list is nowhere to be found on Garmin's Doc. So I found some list for a 64 palette. But still not displaying the right color

    I stop here because it wasn't the point of my post.

  • over 1 year ago in reply to Ultin
    Ultin said:
    Yes I did, but first it didn't compile, I had to change plenty of things without documentation.

    Never has a problem with samples, started with them 10 about years ago.  What errors are you seeing?

    Ultin said:
    Not that easy to understand how to separate code between OnUpdate and OnPartialUpdate

    For using onPartialUpdate, see this thread (you'll also see it in the analog sample) 

    https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/f/discussion/5156/1hz-watch-faces---q-a

    Ultin said:
    Impossible to rotate or curve text without creating a custom font.

    And here's a watch face that shows a bunch of things, including onPartialUpdate, complications, a background service and vector fonts (curved text on some devices)


    https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/f/discussion/349473/simple-example-wf-that-shows-a-bunch-of-things

    Ultin said:
    - no infos about which colors are available for each device

    See https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/compatible-devices/ and for more details including the color palettes, https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/reference-guides/devices-reference/#devicereference

  • over 1 year ago in reply to jim_m_58

    I'm on holidays and trying to write all that on mobile, and let's be honest, they didn't think about that. But thank you for the links.

    Anyway, I went through the few samples given with the SDK. Only 1 was for analog, written long ago apparently, and I had to change a few things to even make it compile. Not gonna explain here, but not that straightforward. Of course I ended up making it.

    regarding the font and OnPartialUpdate, I will look at it but won't be able to compile for a couple of days.

    Your "1Hz" example is 7 years old. Is it really still the way we build a watchface ? I mean the SDK must have changed.

    As for the palette, as I said in my previous post, that page is too heavy and keeps crashing my mobile browser (check the source of that page and try to find me a page online which is that long ;)

    Anyway, I went on that page some time ago, it didn't make the colors appear properly.